A Life Once Lost

This was a pretty fun interview with A Life Once Lost. It was a really good feeling when I got an Email from Bob telling me that the interview was "rather fun." Stuff like that makes me feel really good.

PL: Introduce yourselves.
B: I'm Bob and I play guitar.
A: I'm Alan and I play bass.

PL: You guys answered this during your set, but are you guys on a record label?
B: Yeah, we recently got together with Carl from Ferret and worked out a deal that we're really happy with. We're not officially signed to Ferret, but we will be by the time this prints. It should be Monday when we actually sign.

PL: Do you want to say anything about the new album you have coming out?
A: We're not really done writing yet, so its kind of...
B: Its in the works.
A: Yeah, its in the works and I think we're all pretty excited about it.
B: We're probably about 2/3 done with the writing process. We're doing a lot of demoing and stuff and we're really happy with the way everything is sounding.

PL: Do you guys buy music or download it?
B: I buy music.
A: Yeah, I buy music too.
B: Like, I have burned CDs here and there, but I really make a conscious effort to go out and buy stuff.

PL: You guys have toured with the Red Chord a lot over the summer, and you were supposed to tour with them now. Do you like doing numerous tours with one band in a short span of time or is it good to spread it out?
A: I think they're just kind of good friends of ours, which is why we seem to always be out with them. We know it will be a good tour. We know it will be fun. As far as touring with one band, I think its good to tour with as many bands as possible, and as many styles as possible, but I think people see us with the Red Chord a lot just because we like those guys.
B: We're pals. We're buddies.
A: Its always gonna be a good show.
B: Yeah, its always fun.
PL: I didn't get to go to the one in Worcester because I was hurt.
B: Oh, you missed Mun then.
A: You didn't see Mun, did you? Mun was the main support for the Red Chord.
B: We made a side project band on our last tour, as a joke, called Mun-spelled M-u-n. Its all crazy spoken word and its just nuts.
A: We had dancers onstage-expressional dancers.
B: Its a huge joke that went off pretty well.
PL: Do you ever want a tour to end? Do you just want to keep going or go home?
B: Its not so much that we want a tour to end, but maybe its certain things like missing something or someone. Being away sucks sometimes.
A: When you're sick in a club bathroom, you kind of want to be home. At that moment, but once you get over that, you're having fun.

PL: Has mainstream music gotten better?
B: I think mainstream music is getting better.
A: I think its kind of like new wave. They've taken...in the 80s they took all of the punk bands and tried to change them to fit a kind of mold that would sell records, and its the same thing now. They're taking punk and hardcore bands and warping them into something that they can sell or market. It just reminds me of the 80s.
B: If you look at mainstream like MTV or radio its sick that smaller bands in our genre or indie bands are getting big and have videos on MTV and have songs playing on the radio.
A: There's something to be said for an ignored underground. That always breeds really good art and music. MTV 2-what its done, its given young bands something to shoot for. Not that its a bad thing, but it gives them something to aim for. "Alright, lets start a band and we're gonna get a video on M2." And a lot of young bands start with a goal like that in mind. I don't think thats good for anybody, but bands who have been working their asses off for years and finally get a video and finally sell some records and get to feed themselves-thats good.

PL: What do you do to kill time while you're on tour?
A: Smoke weed.
B: Yeah, we just hang out and chill.
A: This kid plays a lot of video games. We all play a lot of video games, but he-
B: I don't want to become "Video Game Guy" in the band. I don't play a lot-its not like I own a PS2. I don't have any video game systems at home.
A: On our last two tours, Bob beat SoCom (?) and Manhunt. So he'll play one game-
B: I'll just play while we're driving. Whenever I'm not driving and just sitting, I'll just play until I beat the game.

PL: I was in class listening to a book on tape, which is where this question came from. Have you ever listened to a book on tape?
A: Can't say I have.
B: I definitely have listened to a book on tape. I got arrested when I was 15 for stealing various items that I'm not going to get into. I had to listen to these tapes-keep in mind I was 15 so this was all scaring me. I had to listen to these tapes that repeatedly brainwashed me into not stealing by the time I was through listening to them. I had to take a quiz on all the tapes, and I've never stolen anything since.
PL: Was it like "A Clockwork Orange?"
B: It was kind of like that, but it was mild.
A: Wasn't it one of those: if you walk into a store, what's the first thing you think about?
B: Yeah.
A: A-steal a candy bar, B-whatever...

PL: Do you think Philly has one of the most diverse scenes around?
B: Yeah, its pretty diverse.
A: I think the fact that we're always there, we get spoiled. There are a lot of really interesting bands, but I think anywhere there's a lot of bands that stand apart from each other. There's a lot of bands that just kind of are there and then there's a lot of cool bands. I think Philly's got a lot of experimental and creative bands coming up. So I'll say yes.

PL: Do you guys have an opinion on Clear Channel?
B: Doesn't really affect me, yet.
A: I mean, everybody's got an opinion on Clear Channel.
B: Clear Channel's Clear Channel.
A: They own everything and they're starting to buy up all of the small clubs now, which is kind of weird. So, maybe in a couple years, there'll be a Monopoly. They suck, but no one's gonna fight them and win. Its kind of like that.

PL: Name one album, besides your own, that you think all kids should own.
B: Just one album in general, or one heavy album?
PL: Just one album.
B: Probably, uh-what album have we talked about that we narrowed it down to? Kid A?
A: I'd say everybody should own some Refused records. Kid A is something everybody should own.
B: We've got to narrow it down.
A: I'm thinking of some older stuff, maybe. Ummm...
B: Gish.
A: Gish? Yeah, Smashing Pumpkin's Gish is always good to own. I think everybody should listen to a lot of different music, so everybody should own one record that's completely different from most of the CDs that they have. How's that?
PL: Sounds good.
A: Bob, what's your answer?
B: That's fine.

PL: Are you guys going to vote in this upcoming election?
A: Actually, we're bring back the Better Youth Organization, and this election, we're gonna tailgate outside of election places.
B: We're gonna barbeque. We're gonna make sure that we can get the proper permits for it.
A: And we're gonna try and sponsered by Dunkin Donuts, where we can hand out donuts to people who vote. They'll walk outside and we can hand out muffins and donuts to them. So we're gonna be pretty involved in this election coming up.
PL: Is that gonna be in Philly?
A: We live in Jersey, actually. We live in South Jersey right outside of Philly. So, we're gonna be doing that there. I think its important to do that kind of stuff. We're trying to keep really it non-partisan. We just want people to come hang out, have some barbeque.
PL: Would you rather have the person you're voting for win with a low voter turnout or a high voter turnout and your candidate lose?
A: To be fair, the more people who vote-you're gonna get what the country really wants. So, I guess, even if the person I voted for didn't win, if every single person in the country voted and that's how it came out, then I guess, that's how it is.
B: It doesn't matter who you vote for, you're gonna regret it at some point for some reason anyway. So...

PL: Do you guys have any final comments?
B: Thank you for the interview, and fucking...I don't know.
A: Hang out, play music, have fun.
B: Chill.
A: Sounds good.
BC: Awesome.

Interview by: RF
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